PSATS executive director Dave Sanko released a statement in response to Gov. Shapiro’s 2025-26 state budget proposal. On transportation, Sanko said “While Gov. Shapiro called for hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending for PennDOT, it is disappointing that townships were left with no new transportation dollars, despite local governments managing and maintaining more roads than the state.”

On the housing issue, Sanko explained that townships have been making dealing with growing housing needs for decades, voting to allow mixed use developments, single family homes, multi-family units – from duplexes to apartments. Townships have demonstrated that current law works, and townships have shown needed flexibility when presented with development plans that work.

As Sanko put it, “Locally elected officials know their communities best, and these elected officials work with planners to address the unique needs of their communities, while ensuring residents achieve the safe quality of life with the affordability they expect when they decide to invest in a community.

“We applaud the governor for his desire to work with local governments to address housing-related issues and for his understanding that one-size-fits-all solutions do not work in a state as diverse as Pennsylvania.”